nixCraft 🐧16h ago
Swedish government announced that the country’s schools would be going back to basics, emphasizing skills such as reading and writing, particularly in early grades. After mostly being sidelined, physical books are now being reintroduced into classrooms, and students are learning to write the old-fashioned way: by hand, with a pencil or pen, on sheets of paper. The Swedish government also plans to make schools cellphone-free throughout the country https://undark.org/2026/04/01/sweden-schools-books/
Why Swedish Schools Are Bringing Back Books

Amid declining test scores, the country has pivoted away from screens and invested in back-to-basics school materials.

Undark Magazine
Show threadKlaus Frank16h ago
@nixCraft I feel like this is an over correction. The way to go is kinda in the middle - I think.
Show threadLouis Salkeld
@agowa338 @nixCraft I feel like this is actually a pretty decent middle ground? Nobody is stopping them from using technology outside of school, they're just having dedicated time to learn how to do things without it during the day.
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Show threadKlaus Frank15h ago

@salkeld @nixCraft

Well I wouldn't be able to type with 10 fingers if it wasn't for school forcing us to learn it. And in hindsight I'm kinda thankful for that.

And I'm sure a lot of people in class benefitted from all of these "search stuff on the internet for your presentation" with being guided to source validate and double check stuff to teach critical thinking and media competency.

Also we did 3d CAD design and entry level programming in school too, so...

Show threadLouis Salkeld15h ago
@agowa338 @nixCraft Admittedly, I was focusing a lot on the 'particularly in early grades' part of the post, which I think is really important. As students get older, I agree, the wider the set of the skills they learn at school, the better.
Show threadKlaus Frank15h ago

@salkeld @nixCraft

well we also had some guided "computer lectures" in 1st and 2nd grade too. But tbh I can't remember what they were about. Just that I kinda enjoyed them...

Show threadKrupo15h ago

@agowa338 @salkeld @nixCraft we had typing class in grade 4 or 5.

Learning to write "properly" prior to getting into keyboards has a lot of merit!

Show threadKlaus Frank15h ago

@krupo @salkeld @nixCraft

I'm not against the need for teaching these skills too. I just feel like a full ban as the wording "cellphone-free schools" suggests is just equally bad just in the other direction...

Show thread:cool_s:ylvie 14h ago
@agowa338 @salkeld @nixCraft There is perhaps some nuance that is being lost. Nowhere does it suggest the modern equivalent of Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing or computer labs with office and engineering software are being removed. It is the ban of cell phones and a move back to writing and reading primarily on physical media, away from laptops and tablets
Show threadZergy  13h ago
@agowa338
Their is still things to search on the internet, excluding slop?
@salkeld @nixCraft